Plural s-ending Possessives

If there is a family with the last name of Jones, and you want to talk about the family, you say the Joneses. But what if you want to talk about something that belongs to them. Is it “I’m going to the Joneses’ for dinner?” Because that would be pronounced Jonziziz.

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We want to put a sign on the front of our house. It is now just my wife and I that live here and we are wondering how to spell the last name of CROSS. Would it be Cross', or Crosses, or Crosses', or Cross's, or Cross'es or some other combination. Thanks for your help.

The family Jones has a house. It is the Jones's (Joneziz) house. You are going there to visit the Joneses (Joneziz). Each member of the family has their own individual name, and you ask your friend, who knows the family, what the Joneses' (Joneziz) names (namez) are.

hello i am wanting to put a sign at the end of my farm yard that reads the farm name "DenBar Farms" and then under it " The Schultz's" as in this is the Schultz's farm, is this the right way to right this, do not want to show the public my lack of knowledge???

I've never seen an example where the last name ends in an "I". For example Minelli. I want to sign a card, The Minellis, and I know that isn't right. I also know that The Minellies isn't right either. I have to use an apostrophe even though there is no possession, right? Just signing a Christmas card for our family. Help!

Last names that end in s are not plural, therefore the following rules apply:1. More than one Jones is Joneses2. Anything belonging to one Jones is Jones's3. Anything belonging to more than one Jones is Joneses'

The Jones' House. (Jonesiz)I was talking to two of the Joneses. (Jonesiz)What are each of the Joneses' (or Jones') names? (Jonesiz or Jonesesiz -- as a native English speaker, I wouldn't notice the difference between the two)

Dawne, I can understand your confusion, but I think your question has already been answered. You could write The Weisses, or The Weisses' ( or just Weiss's?). All are "correct" but mean different things. It depends what you are trying to convey. The Weisses means that you are simply announcing the presence of the Weiss family, plural, more than one Weiss. The Weisses' means that you are identifying the property itself, as in The Weisses' Home, with "Home" only implied. I suppose if there were only one Weiss, he could sign his house "Weiss's" or even "Weiss", or if he were quite conceited, "The Weiss".

For the love of God and all things holy... no matter what you do, PLEASE don't hang those signs on your door or mailbox that say "The Jones's"... or "The Smith's" unless of course you are trying to say, "Hey! My last name is Jones/Smith and this is MY mailbox!" If in fact you mean to say, "My entire family lives here, our last name is Jones/Smith and this is OUR house!" then put "The Joneses" or "The Smiths" on the sign. As in more than one Jones or Smith lives there. The apostrophe does NOT make it plural.

I suppose I should mention that I was taught to pronounce the extra syllable, contrary to what Brad's teacher held. Maybe it is different in different English-speaking regions. I've never had my pronunciation corrected, though.

Adding -'s to a possessive noun is always acceptable, even if the noun ends in -s with the "z" sound. As Diana Hacker in A Writer's Reference (sorry, I can't underline or italicize) says, "Exception: If pronunciation would be awkward with the added -'s, some writers use only the apostrophe. Either use is acceptable."

Speedwell has already indirectly corrected Brad's first example, but I just want to make it a little clearer. Since the Joneses own the house, it is no longer an issue of possession but plurality. Once we establish that a family of Joneses and not one Jones owns the house, we cannot reduce the "Joneses" to "Jones" again when making "Joneses" possessive. Thus, the correct possessive, plural form is "Joneses'."

Speedwell, I have a question for you. In the first post, you say, "The family Jones has a house. It is the Jones's... house." Later in your third post, you say, "...the kitty belonging to the family [Klosses] is "the Klosses' cat."

Does this discrepancy result from an unintentional mistake in your first post, or is there something special about houses?

I am wanting to get a picture for my mother-in law for christmas. At the top of the picture it says: Our Family Tree and at the bottom is where we put our last name which is James. My mother-in law is a retired English teacher so I want to get this right. Would it be The Jameses or The Jameses'? Please help!

For those struggling with what to write on the sign in the front yard or on the welcoming mat, make your lives simple by writing: "The Romano Family" or "The Weiss Family." This may not naturally occur to a non-native speaker, but is perfectly acceptable and common in the English language. (It even, in my opinion, adds a homy touch).

I need some help. I am looking to get a welcome sign for my door that says... The Romanos or is it The Romanoes? I have looked around and found if a noun ends in O with a consanant before it, add as s. If there is a vowel before it add as es. Is this also true for Proper names? Please help. I don't want to order a sign with the incorrect spelling!THANKS!!

I'm guessing with a name like Romano, you're of Italian extraction. So if I were you I'd use Romanoes, even if that's technically incorrect, if only because Romanos looks an awful lot like a Mexican name ;)

P.S. this is not to imply that I have anything against Mexican names - my ganddaughter's last name is Mendoza - just that it would give an erroneous indication of your nationality.

I think this will clear the question up... If you were talking about a house belonging to the Smith family (the Smiths), you wouldn't say, "the Smithziz house." You would just say, "the Smithz house." Following this thread, you wouldn't say, "Joneziziz." You would just say, "Joneziz."

My soon to be last name will be Geis. I am wanting to have a sign made that says "The Geisestablished September 27, 2008, but I am not sure since our last name ends in s if I would add an apostrophe at the end of the name The Geis'established September 27, 2008

Nobody mentioned the use of a surname with a house when the house is historic or even when it's not: the Bangs House, the Wilder House, the Jefferson House. Then you don't have to worry about plurals or apostrophes.

I think this is very confusing and to those of you who think the question has been answered 40 bzillion times..I am sorry. For me, I have been told several different ways of using the correct form of spelling for a persons last name. And I am still baffled after reading all of this. So here is my question and all I need to know is yes or no.

It's George and Lisa's Engagement (for a couple, the last name listed only needs to be made possessive and since you are only one person when saying "Lisa", you put the apostrophe before the s). By the way, congratulations!

Emmalissa, you are correct. "...the Shuman's..." would be singular possessive, as if there were only one Shuman living there, but one so famous that he or she would be not just any Shuman, but THE Shuman.

I can't believe my eyes, talk about the blind leading the blind! I've just read dozens of posts on this topic and virtually nobody has the faintest idea what they're talking about. If you need advice on punctuation this sure ain't the place to get it!

For a simple plural, definitely no apostrophe; I would go for the Hesses, as in grass / grasses, 'es' being the regular plural after a double s. Then if you wanted to talk about something the family owned you can simply add an apostrophe - the Hesses' house. Compare:

Eliot Ness - "Ness remarried in 1939, to illustrator Evaline Michelow. The Nesses moved to Washington, D.C. in 1942 where he worked for the federal government" (Wikipedia)

Burness - "The Land of the Burnesses" (Burness Genealogy and Family History)

Snodgrass - the Snodgrasses - "The Snodgrasses' El Reno home is covered in angling - from the rods in one living-room corner to the swimming-fish designs on throw pillows that cover the ..." (NewsOK.com)

Hi. I want to pluralize my son's family's last name (Szarkowicz) for a plaque. Do I write "The Szarkowiczes" or "The Szarkowiczs"? I believe the former is the correct way, but I want to make sure. I'm also having one made for my sister whose last name is Evers. Am I correct in assuming there is no added suffix and it should be written as "The Evers"? Thanks for your help.

i want to present 2 scenarios.(1) i have to list several defendants. two of the defedants have the same last name. no kin to one another(2) i have to list several defendants. the two who have the same name are married to one anothr.

please advise of the appropriate rule(s)

(defendants not married)Wherefore, Defendants Baileys, Jordan and Thompson are in the court room.

Wherefore, Defendants Bailey, Bailey, Jordan and Thompson are in the court room.

(defendants married)Wherefore, Defendants the Baileys, Jordan and Thompson are in the court room.

Wherefore, Defendants Baileys, Jordan and Thompson are in the court room.

Hey Grammar Geek, for singular possessives ending in "s", especially names, some add just an apostrophe and others add an apostrophe followed by an "s". Style and grammar guides disagree or list it as optional as long as you're consistent. By the way, the very sources you quote both say this. You should read them before you post.

Actually, English Teacher, I think you contradicted yourself there. If you want to say that "...my entire family lives here..." then, yes, you should say "The Smiths" or "The Joneses". But, if you really want to say "...this is OUR house!" (your words, not mine) then you should add an apostrophe (or 's) at the end to express possession - The Smiths', etc. Of course, actually implying possession is not the norm, so the apostrophe shouldn't be there at all. "The Smith's" would be incorrect, as you said. I suppose, if a man named Smith lived alone, and he really wanted to use the possessive, He could have just plain "Smith's", as in "Smith's place". Well, OK, he could have "The Smith's" if his ego were really big and he thought of himself as THE Smith. Now I'm just being silly.

My daughter recently married and her surname is Elenbaas. I want to purchase an engraved Christmas gift (1) for both of them. Would it be The Elenbaases or The Elenbaases' ? Time is short please help. Or could it be The Elenbaas' Family?

Yes, if you mean to say that particular family was established on that date. Or, if you're refering to the house it's self, then I would put an " ' " after the" s " to show possession. The Joneses, refering to more than one Jones living there; The Joneses', refering to their house. Either is acceptable.

Our last name is Fish. I know, I married into it!! Anyway, how do you pluralize it? Fishes or Fish's? Like, on a sign, Welcome to the Fish's ?? It doesn't end in an "s" but it ends in the "s" sound.Also, when some of our friends talk about us they say, "We're going out with the Fish tonight". I laugh and correct them and say, "The Fish's". I'm pretty sure that's correct. Let me know.Thks

I think it's Fishes, whether on a sign or when people are talking about you. Definitely no apostrophe, if you're not talking about possession. To pluralize Fish, I'd just say Fishes. And if something belongs to you two, I gather from previous comments that it would be the Fishes', pronounced "fishez." I think I'd pronounce it "fishezez," but I think I'd be wrong.

When a name ends in 's', you add an 'es' to make it plural. Ex: Joneses. "I'm going to visit the Joneses." To make a name that ends in an 's' possessive, you simply add an apostrophe to the end of the name. You can do this whether it's a single person or a family whose name ends in 's'. But you must keep it consistent, according to the following article:http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/possessives.htm

My husband and I have been married for over 2 years and I have yet to figure this out. Our last name is Hess. I am fixing to work on Christmas cards since we are a military family and we have friends and family stationed/living all over. I have read different way on writing the Hess plural. This is so confusing. Which on is proper: The Hesses, The Hess' or The Hess's? Please help!!

The only people who have the 's regularly dropped after s are biblical figures, or figures from antiquity. So I don't think bridgwaterblitz's Jesus' tomb example was particularly valid, as this is usually regarded as an exception.

Last name is Woods. I want to have something personalized with “The Woods”, but the name already has an ‘s’ on the end. What would be the correct way to do this? I think Woodses would look funny. And Woods’ would be a possessive, right? I usually just skip personalizing things because of this... :(